Resources Lost to Development

Anti-Corruption Efforts Can Ensure Scarce Resources Are Not Lost to Development

PRESS RELEASES:
21 July 2010
[Apia, 22 July 2010] “The chapter on Asset Recovery in the United Nations Convention against Corruption is the most innovative chapter of the whole treaty. It recognises that it is not only important to prosecute corrupt officials who have stolen public money, it is also crucial to make sure that that money is actually returned to the State.”

These were the comments made by UNODC representative, Mr Giovanni Gallo, on Day 2 of the Pacific Regional Meeting on Ratification and Implementation of UNCAC. The meeting is being organized by UNDP Pacific Centre in partnership with UNODC and with support from AusAID. The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was adopted by the General Assembly in 2003 had to date has been ratified by 146 States and the European Union.

Papua New Guinea, one of three Pacific countries that has ratified UNCAC, has recently successfully completed a case that led to the recovery of stolen assets returned to government treasury, under its Proceeds of Crimes Act 2005.

Raphael Luman, from the PNG Office of Public Prosecution stated that “UNCAC has certainly been able to complement our domestic anti-corruption legislation, and a key benefit to PNG is in the area of information exchange with the other 145 ratifying countries when investigating cross-border corrupt activities”.

During Day 2 of the Meeting, participants were given an overview of the four key chapters of UNCAC; they deal with prevention, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, and asset recovery.

Asset recovery is a particularly important component of UNCAC. Historically, assets stolen through corruption were often lost to the State forever, even after successful prosecutions. But UNCAC requires countries to cooperate with each other, so that States can now freeze assets in other jurisdictions, and can also have those assets returned.

“The return of corrupt funds back to State coffers is one of the most tangible benefits of UNCAC. In a region like ours, where resources are often scarce, it is a great result that assets recovered by the State can be redirected to meet national development needs,” said Charmaine Rodrigues, the Regional Legislative Strengthening Expert at the UNDP Pacific Centre.

The regional meeting is being attended by senior government officials from fourteen countries and officials from the World Bank Stolen Assets Recovery Initiative, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, European Union, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country offices and regional centre, and the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The workshop will continue until 22 July.

ENDS

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